Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Case Study
After the successful implementation of PLM, the automotive development time was shortened by nearly 50%, quality was improved by 80%, and unexpected investment returns were achieved.
An exciting future.
Nissan believes that the competition currently facing the global automotive industry is "one of the fiercer engineering competitions in history." Carlos Ghosn, CEO and President of Nissan, wrote on the company's website, "In the pursuit of mobility solutions that are environmentally sustainable, we are engaged in a fierce race... in the coming years, this will change every aspect of the car... the strong will stand out

In order to ensure that Nissan becomes one of the winners in this competition, the company is now vigorously promoting the V-3P program (Value Up for Product, Process and Program Innovation - "Enhancing the Value of Product, Process and Program Innovation") launched by Ghosn in 2001. This comprehensive plan positions the company in response to the challenges faced by the automotive industry. In addition to mandatory production of more environmentally friendly cars, these challenges also include shorter time to market, global markets, global supply chains, and more.

The foundation of the V-3P program is the product lifecycle management technology provided by Siemens PLM Software, particularly the digital product development software I-deas ® Together with NXTM and digital lifecycle management software Teamcenter ®。 Keigo Fukushima, General Manager and V-3P Program Director at Nissan, stated that "Siemens PLM Software is the primary solution for the V-3P innovation process. I-deas and NX form the core design system, while Teamcenter manages all data. ”

Dual objectives
According to Ghosn's original intention, the V-3P plan has two goals: shortening the time to market for new cars and improving product quality. Siemens PLM Software's software plays a critical role in both areas. For example, NX and I-deas form the foundation of what the company calls "Know How CAD," a knowledge capture and reuse system suitable for the entire team from design engineers to suppliers.

Fukushi explained, "Our 'Know How CAD' has two aspects: process knowledge and product knowledge. Through this technology, young engineers can access historical data and ideas, and all users can access and utilize knowledge, simplifying the process and shortening time. This technology can improve the team's work efficiency and innovation ability, helping young engineers and more experienced engineers achieve the same results. ”

Moreover, the digital data created in I-deas and NX forms the foundation of virtual validation, which is a key method for Nissan to shorten its development cycle. Fukushi said, "Through virtual validation, we can identify issues early in the design process. If these issues are only discovered during the production of physical prototypes, it will be too late, not only at a high cost, but also changing many other parts of the car. Virtual testing can be conducted early in the design process to implement countermeasures before assembling other parts of the car. In addition, by identifying issues early in the design process, you have more time to evaluate alternative designs and find solutionsmoreA good overall solution or response measure. ”

Without Teamcenter, all of these practices would not have been possible, as Teamcenter establishes a single source of vehicle information that provides users with accuratemoreNew vehicle information. The Teamcenter data warehouse contains the following data: CAD data created by NX and I-deas, digital validation models and results, CAM files, bill of materials, and process planning data. Through Teamcenter, enterprises can communicate this information throughout the entire organization - even users who do not use technical application software can access this information.

Comprehensive success
The V-3P program has achieved great success. When the plan was just launched, it took Nissan 20 months to complete the process of a new car design from styling freeze to start production (SOP). So far, Nissan has developed four cars in the V-3P program, each of which took only 10.5 months to complete the process from styling to production.

The V-3P program has significantly improved product quality. Make this judgment from two aspects. One aspect is that design changes have reduced by 60-90%. For car plans containing a large number of new technologies, design changes have been reduced by 60%; For subsequent automotive plans based on an existing platform, design changes have been reduced by 90%. Another way to measure quality is the number of issues reported after a new car is launched. According to this measurement standard, the performance of the V-3P program is quite outstanding, reducing this number by 80%.

According to a report from Nissan, the V-3P plan has exceeded the company's initial investment return expectations. In fierce engineering competition, this will reshape the company's product line. Nissan has established a car development process that not only protects the company's reputation for quality, but also helps the company bring competitive technology to market at a faster pace. The V-3P program based on Siemens PLM Software technology has laid a solid foundation for future success.